


The Aspect of You

by SweetLoveCries



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dragon AU, Fantasy AU, M/M, Tags to be added, There will be other implied pairings, a/b/o dynamics, there will be mature content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:01:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16763839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetLoveCries/pseuds/SweetLoveCries
Summary: It was like a lucid dream. The longer the key remained slotted, the more magic spread through the walls- blues, purples, white – mixed and swirled, reaching for the tops and then surging right back to the center of the door. The lock clicked loudly and Kingsguard removed the key. It was returned to the tip of his staff and then the door opened.~Chapter 3 up~





	1. Tsukishima

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So! This will be my attempt at Dragon AU, mixed in with A/B/O dynamics, but they will not be the central focus of it. I want it to be a part of the story, not the plot of the story ^^! Any criticism and suggestions, advice and comments are very welcome (seeing I am not a native speaker :D)! This first chapter is just a shorter intro into the setting and to see if people would be interested to read something like this!
> 
> So! I hope you enjoy this!

Everything was new.

For Hinata, every place King of Time took him was new. And it fit him, considering his young age. He never saw Red Fields of Anthurium before, spreading across the mountains as far as your sight can reach. He never before witnessed Glowing Stones of the Isolated Tops changing their colors from green to gray to dusky blue as the day went on. The Emerald City, made of green Dreamglass, inviting Dreamers to share their visions or weary travelers to rest and slumber.

And now, he’s here. The Moonkeep. Home of the Arcane.

He heard the stories of this place. Many legends that felt both true and farfetched. That the people are as beautiful and cold as the surface they walk on- crystal blue and breathing magic, yet with icy, menacing aura.

Hinata keeps close to Bokuto, merely inches away from stepping on the golden coat that’s been dragging behind the Dragon of Time. Compared to Hinata, he looks peaceful, almost happy, humming, as they make their way down the long, crystal blue bridge. He’s been here many times before, Hinata figures. Of course, he’s been alive for thousands of years so it would be weird if he wasn’t. The Flights always cooperated and preserved the harmony in the World, every aspect contributing and keeping the life go on.

Time was important, Hinata concluded. Very important. Without time, nothing would happen. Everything would be still and there would be no changes. He was immensely proud to be a dragon of the Golden Flight that protected Time.

But as he visited the other flights on his trip, he finally started to understand why the other aspects and Dragon Kings were important. King Kuroo – the first Dragon King he visited at the Scarlet Keep – protected Life. That kind of duty terrified Hinata. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his back. Sure, he will always raise and fight anyone that threatens them, but to be a single responsible person for every breathing creature in the World? Not happening.

Maybe that’s just his upbringing.

The Emerald City was as magnificent as Akaashi was terrifying. Which is off the scales, no pun intended. He watched the Emerald King spar with few other dragons and in less than two minutes all of them were asleep. Hinata wouldn’t like to sleep through most of his life, but dreams are what motivates them all. And Akaashi was very encouraging of his journey. His encouragement made Hinata blush proudly.

After that, they visited the Silent Mountains. Isolated Tops were so cool to look at and dragons that lived there could move and shape the stone however they wished. They even made him rock slippers! They were extremely uncomfortable, but it’s the thought that counts. To say that King Ushijima was scary would be an understatement. But he was also cool. Didn’t get half the jokes Bokuto threw at him. By the time they left, Hinata wondered if the man ever smiled in his three-thousand-year life.

There is only one other King left to meet. The one that manipulated magic – the very existence of it. Being able to suck the magic out of anything and leave it dry and useless is amazing power and Hinata was envious. Bokuto also told him that the Blue Flight had some of the best weapon wielders in the past, the Blue King himself forging the weapons for every person specifically to fit them and their capabilities.

He wondered what happened to them. He also wondered if Blue King would forge him a weapon one day.

“Scared?” Bokuto asked and made Hinata jump.

“N-No! Not at all!”

“Hmmm,” Bokuto grinned, eyes glinting. He, of course, didn’t believe him. There was no reason to, really, because he WAS afraid and he WASN’T a good liar.

“If everything goes smoothly, you will be staying here to train for a long while.”

Right. Training. That was the sole purpose of this trip. But- it seemed so impossible that he will get combat training from the least combative flight out there. It made more sense if he stayed with Ushijima. Was there some kind of secret? Are they going to teach him how to suck the magic out of objects!?

“They won’t teach you how to suck the magic out of objects,” Bokuto laughed and Hinata turned red.

“D-Did I ask that out loud?”

Bokuto laughed, “Yup.”

Just great.

During the light banter, they finally crossed the bridge and came to the bottom of glassy, blue staircases. The climb wasn’t long, and at the top of them, in front of the sapphire blue door, stood a guy with freckles all over his face. Locked to his back was a huge staff with a crescent moon on the edge and a huge star in the middle of it, reaching past the slicing part of the moon glaive. His hair was tied up with blue chains and from his blue, crystal horns hung decorative, sparkling stars. His long, royal blue robes covered half of his side, half of it remained free, revealing fitting pants and shirt.

“Kingsguard to the Blue King Tsukishima Kei,” Bokuto supplied and Hinata gulped. He’s seen Kingsguard before, their own Time Citadel has dozens of them, but this guy looks... he can’t describe how he looks. Hinata can feel his stomach become upset.

He didn’t hear the conversation the two exchanged, but he did see the man nod and reach for his staff. Or rather, the moon part of the staff. The blue dragon held his hand to it until the crescent moon glaive started glowing when he easily removed it from his weapon. Approaching the big door, he slotted the key into the missing compartment on them and the entire Blue Citadel lit up.

It was like a lucid dream. The longer the key remained slotted, the more magic spread through the walls- blues, purples, white – mixed and swirled, reaching for the tops and then surging right back to the center of the door. The lock clicked loudly and Kingsguard removed the key. It was returned to the tip of his staff and then the door opened.

Blue crystal door slid apart slowly, revealing a single, huge room with astronomically high ceiling. Hinata’s shoes were noisy on the floor along with Bokuto’s as they made their way in, but he was one hundred percent sure no one heard it.

That big.

Now, to the more important part.

One- there was magic in the walls. He was sure of it. Two- it was fucking scary! What if it goes haywire!? Three- the legends were right and the damn Blue King is gorgeous.

Okay, stop. Rewind.

All Kings are good-looking, that goes without a doubt. Every one of them was special in their own, distinct way. But the Blue King looks like some ethereal ghost, standing there in front of the throne. If it weren’t for the dragon in front of it, Hinata would be gushing all over how beautiful the blue throne is – it was as if it was forged from ice and moonstone (which wasn’t too far off).

Short blond hair, a sharp stare that felt like it was cutting through him, impossibly tall. His horns were long and thin, almost see-through blue, but as if made from several waves of crystal. His neck was engulfed in small blue crystals, which stretched like spirals down his shoulders and bare arms. Silver, crescent moon brooch held the robes in the center of his figure, making him look even taller as they fell freely down his sides and onto the floor. And the most unsettling thing of it all were his eyes. Yellow, hidden behind thin glass frame, slowly but surely waking fear inside of Hinata’s chest.

“Welcome. This is an unexpected visit,” his eyes moved from Hinata to Bokuto and younger dragon finally felt like he could breathe again. “What brings you here?”

“The little guy could use some of that special training of yours,” Bokuto says, nodding back at Hinata, who instantly goes rigid again.

Blue King raises his eyebrows.

“What does the Arcane Sanctum look to you? Training Hall?” he huffs.

“...I thought that’s exactly what it is...” Bokuto trailed off and Tsukishima rolled his eyes. He went down the few steps that led to the throne and sighed.

“I am too lenient to you,” he says and steps past him to stand in front of Hinata. Who both wants to turn into a mice and hide but also wants to huff up and fight that judging stare.

“U-Uh...”

...is backing up allowed? Also, did King’s eyes got blue hue around the irises? Maybe he’s still hallucinating. Maybe Akaashi is still keeping him in a dream. He doesn’t know anymore.

After what it felt like an eternity of Tsukishima boring holes in his soul, he finally turns to Bokuto. “I suppose I do owe you...” then he looks back to Hinata and raises his hand, placing long, crystal blue fingernail against Hinata’s cheek. Young dragon gulps.

“You will not speak of this to anyone,” Tsukishima says icily and the entire room grows ten degrees colder. He presses nail firmer into the skin, just on the verge of breaking through it. “If any knowledge of this leaves this place and finds the way into the World, I will know it is you. And I will consider it a treason. Am I perfectly clear?” Hinata nods vigorously and the nail is gone. Tsukishima turns to Bokuto, who nods in a half-bow.

“...very well then. Follow me.”

===

“I know this is a long shot, but-“

“You picked him out of everyone that applied to be your guard, did you not?” Tsukishima interrupted Bokuto, as they watched Hinata in the courtyard, being introduced to the other attendants of the Arcane Academy.

Bokuto nods.

“Then it will be fine.”

Bokuto gives him a look. A ‘ _I can’t believe what just left your mouth_ ’ look.

“Where did this sudden trust in me came from?”

Tsukishima turns his back to the courtyard and leans on the crystal fence, arms crossed.

“Just because I don’t speak it, it doesn’t mean it is not there.”

Bokuto stared at him for a few moments then looked down at Hinata, who was talking to a tall guy with a hoodie, crystal mask over his lower part of the face. This should be fine, right?

“Uneasy?”

Bokuto groans and ruffles up his own hair, making golden dust fall out of it. Tsukishima coughs and tries to wave it out. Stupid sands of time, always so messy.

“I feel like... something bad’s going to happen,” he finally says, his forehead pressed against the wall. The Blue King pushes himself from the railing and comes closer.

“...soon?”

“...don’t know.”

“Then we still have some time.”

Bokuto turns his face: “...did you just make a time pun?”

“You never heard it.”

“Right!”

...

After a short pause, Tsukishima headed down the long terrace and Bokuto pulled away from the wall, looking wistfully after him.

“Already leaving?”

The door open for Tsukishima, who stops to look at Bokuto over his shoulder.

“There is dinner to tend to. I have guests who are staying a while, after all,” he says with a glint in his usually expressionless eyes. Then steps inside the Moonkeep with a smirk, the door closing behind him with a resounding thud.


	2. Bokuto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You shouldn’t listen to rumors so much,” Tsukishima waves it off. Okay, maybe he was a bit peeved that Hinata didn’t mention he was an omega in the last week, seeing he had plenty of opportunities to do so, but this awkwardness is wearing Tsukishima down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already had this chapter done yesterdays so I thought- why not post it xD! A big thank you goes to [Orchidd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orchidd/pseuds/Orchidd) and the support they give me! Thank you a lot, you keep me inspired!

_“He is a simple-minded being responsible for handling complicated matters of time and space. You are playing with fire, Tsukishima,” Oikawa said. “You are playing with fire that threatens to burn your very existence. Continue to support him and your flight will disappear. Magic will be gone.”_

Kei opened his eyes in an instant, golden gaze locked onto the man peacefully sleeping on the pillow next to his. He’s getting older, Bokuto. A dangerous thought that Oikawa reminds him of daily. Tsukishima’s never been afraid in his life, not even when his own was hanging on the edge. But Bokuto dying of old age? An unpleasant shiver goes down his back every time he thinks about it. His mind refuses to accept it. Kuroo would probably be angry with him for attempting to stop it but- isn’t Bokuto already buying his youth?

_“No matter what you say, it will not change my decision,” Tsukishima had said. “The Earth is greedy. What is dangerous is letting my offsprings depend on yours.”_

Needless to say, the Earth emissary wasn’t happy with his response. Ushijima said he was disappointed but that he wasn’t surprised with the decision and Tsukishima’s refusal to be his mate. Thousand years ago, it was unheard of for flights to mix. It was Kuroo who lifted the ban on it. There are still places where it is a taboo to mention your mate is from a different flight, but Tsukishima didn’t care.

_“Mark my words, Blue King. He will be your downfall.”_

Kei sat up in bed, fingers reaching out to move bangs from Bokuto’s sleeping face.

“At least it will be a beautiful one...” he mutters with a small smile.

A knock on the door interrupts the silence and any dreamy thoughts Tsukishima had disappeared like a dusty cloud. Luckily, Bokuto was a firm sleeper when he’s _satisfied_ , so he didn’t wake up.

Tsukishima slips out of the bed and picks up heavy sleeping robes from the nearby chair. It’s barely dawning, the Sun just coming up from behind the mountains. He wishes he could stay in bed for a while longer. There would be no sleeping achieved but at least he’d enjoy the sight. He supposes that he indulged himself enough. Business awaits.

Maybe.

With soft steps, Kei crosses the large room, letting blue curtains drop and hide the bed on the other side of it. He’ll deny it until his rotten soul passes on, but he has a soft spot for sleeping Bokuto.

“Enter,” he says, taking a seat at the night table and starting to get ready.

With a soft click, Yamaguchi enters the room, the jewelry on his horns making a soft, pleasant jingle. His eyes linger on the dark blue curtains until he feels sharp cut of Kei’s stare. Right, business.

“Sakusa is sending the report on Bokuto’s protegee,” Yamaguchi says, offering Tsukishima the parchment roll. Cracking his fingers, Kei accepts it and rolls it out, eyes flying over words with expert ease. He’s silent for long enough that it prompts Yamaguchi to speak up.

“Is there something wrong?”

Tsukishima rolls up the scroll and places it in one of the drawers.

“Arrange me a meeting with both Sakusa and Hinata. Separately.”

Yamaguchi nods. “Anything I need to know?”

“I’ll update you as soon as I finish talking to them,” Kei confirms and stands, heading for the walk-in wardrobe.

“...is it dangerous?”

After fifteen minutes of silence, Tsukishima walks out, completely dressed- flowing, silky blue pants and heavy tunic, wrapped in a thick cloak.

“No, but we should exercise caution.” He stops walking right in front of Yamaguchi. “How is Yachi?”

“Ah, she’s doing a lot better. Fever’s gone, all she needs to do is recover her strength.”

Tsukishima nods and picks up a small, golden ball with a spinning clock inside of it, connected to a short chain. He places it around his neck and heads for the door. “Make sure she eats properly.”

“She’ll be so happy to hear you ask about her so much,” Yamaguchi chuckles as he follows him out of the bedroom.

“Oh, shut up,” Kei huffs but doesn’t hide the amusement behind it. He smirks at Yamaguchi, “I just simply can’t wait to see the little dragonling hatch, that’s all.”

Yamaguchi’s face lights up like a red shooting star: “R-RIGHT! Right! Yes, me-me- too-“

Thankfully, they were out of Tsukishima’s chambers so Kei’s laugh didn’t disturb anyone.

=*=*=

If he looked closely, Tsukishima could see that Hinata was actually shaking in his boots. He’s giving his best not to for the last ten minutes, but he’s been failing, no matter how relaxed atmosphere Tsukishima tried to make- but it didn’t help. Now they are just sitting a bit awkwardly in the big garden on top of the Moonkeep, fresh air breezing around them. There is a nice glass table between them as they sat down on plush and silky pillows- Hinata with crossed legs and hands in his lap, looking like he’s about to jump out of his skin, and Tsukishima with hands crossed over his chest and growing scowl.

“I am not angry,” the Blue King finally says with an exasperated sigh and big, orange eyes finally look up from the random spot on the glass.

“Y-You’re not?! But they said-“

“You shouldn’t listen to rumors so much,” Tsukishima waves it off. Okay, maybe he was a bit peeved that Hinata didn’t mention he was an omega in the last week, seeing he had plenty of opportunities to do so, but this awkwardness is wearing Tsukishima down.

“S... So... what’s going to happen to me?” Tsukishima’s eyebrows furrow and Hinata quickly tries to explain. “With the training I mean! Will you cut me off from it? Because I don’t want to! It’s so good! And the guys- they are nice and helping and everything!!!”

Tsukishima’s expression lets up a little and he tries not to sigh.

“No, I will not cut you off.” That would be ridiculous. Moreover, he promised Bokuto. Hinata looks like he was just told that the entire World is his.

“You will, however, have to be more careful,” Tsukishima warns and picks up a box that was next to him on the floor.

“Oh! I will! I can keep myself under check and-“

“You don’t get it,” Tsukishima interrupts him again as he pulls out a bracelet and leaves the box aside. “Everyone that trains at the Arcane Academy is an alpha dragon.”

A happy blush that was on his face seconds ago disappeared in a blink.

“Our flight is a bit different than the rest,” Blue King explains, laying the bracelet on the table. “The alpha dragons are born with the inability to channel magic, and instead it gathers within their bodies. That’s why they attend the Academy. The most sensitive part of their body is their hands, on which they focus during their training. Through the years of intense practice, the alpha dragons become elite masters that can wield any type of weapon in the world. They can enhance their weapons by channeling the collected inner magic in them through their hands.”

Hinata listens with rapt attention. “So-! So they are, like, those legendary warriors?!”

Tsukishima shrugs, “Perhaps. Some of them don’t train as much as the others. But there _are_ some that go far and beyond the capabilities of a regular blue dragon.”

“Huh... wow. What a waste tho, missing an opportunity to train,” Hinata says with a frown. But then it hits him.

“So wait! You are not at the Academy- which means-“

-Tsukishima bites back a smirk-

“-which means you are an omega as well?! Wait! Are you- an omega can be a _King_!?”

“In the Blue flight, it is preferable for an omega to be a King.”

“That’s so **_fucking cool_**!” Hinata exclaims but then instantly claps a hand over his mouth, remembering he’s actually talking to a King, not a friend omega.

“Blue omegas have the ability to generate an excessive amount of magical power- and store it in and on their bodies in form of crystals. It becomes quite useful in the long run.”

Tsukishima can see Hinata’s eyes instantly moving to his horns and the layers of blue crystal waves.

“Yes, our horns are actually our magical power,” Tsukishima confirms before Hinata can even ask. “I can rip off a part of my horn and use the magic stored there and it will grow back in time.”

Hinata fidgets in his seat, “I mean, I always thought we were cool. But you kind of beat us,” he laughs sheepishly.

Tsukishima toys with a small, golden sphere on his chest for a moment.

“In any case,” he says and nods at the jewelry on the table, “take the bracelet. It will keep your hormones in check. I trust everyone at the Academy, but I do not wish incidents of any sort.”

Gingerly, Hinata picks up the pretty bracelet and puts it on the wrist.

“You are there to train. Learn as much as you can for you are not allowed to remain here forever.”

“How long do I have?”

“Six months,” Tsukishima says. Hinata nods.

“I’ll give my best!” A small pause. “Ummm... c-can I ask you something? Uh-! Please?”

Tsukishima nods curtly.

“Are... you and our King... bonded?”

The look he gets from Tsukishima makes Hinata alert and rigid in his seat.

“I mean! It’s not forbidden anymore right!? And he always talks about you with everyone!”

Now Tsukishima’s cheeks are getting heated up.

“...It is not that simple, Hinata.” The guy stops flailing around. “We are both Kings. I, especially, cannot be tied to a single King completely.” No matter how much he wants to.

“So... you are bonded with other Kings too?”

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything and, after a few moments, he stands.

“That is none of your concerns. You already butted in far more than you should.”

Hinata gulps and nod.

“Return to the Academy. Don’t wander around too much- you won’t be able to find your way back.”

=*=*=

Talk with Hinata had dug through some of the wounds that Tsukishima dearly wishes to ignore.

He doesn’t mind being bonded to other Kings- Kuroo is maybe a doofus, sometimes menacing asshole, but he means good. There’s a type of gentleness behind the Red King’s actions that are otherworldly. Sometimes Tsukishima felt more like an alpha compared to Kuroo. He had refused to bond with Ushijima at this point in time, but he knows that it will come to haunt him soon enough if Oikawa’s menacing words were any indication. And Akaashi was a beacon of light in their group. Another omega King that kept his alpha tendencies more prominent. Tsukishima knows no other person, aside from Yamaguchi, that understands him better. And then there’s Bokuto.

Tsukishima pauses in the lower gardens, watching Bokuto stand in the middle of it, happily chatting with Yamaguchi.

Whenever he lays his eyes on him, Kei feels like there is a hook in his chest that tugs so painfully hard, towards him. Resisting it was futile- he tried. Oh, did he try it. The pain was unbearable.

The Golden King was animated, chatty, all over the place and yet he provided a sense of security that Tsukishima never felt before. It was hard to explain it to others, but luckily Bokuto himself didn’t need a lot of explaining. Or, any at all, now that Tsukishima thought about it.

“Oh! Tsukki!” Bokuto exclaims, finally taking a note of Tsukishima standing in the doorway and just staring. Yamaguchi excuses himself and leaves and, after nodding to him, Tsukishima steps forward in the garden.

“I was under impression that you will sleep until noon,” Tsukishima teases easily.

“Haha, well, I was tempted to! But then I got hungry,” Bokuto laughs. His golden eyes fall from Tsukishima’s face and to the necklace he’s wearing. The smile falls off a little as he reaches out to pick the round pendant. The rings inside of it, spinning slowly, telling time and all sorts of dates, respond to his touch with a gentle gleam.

“You’re not taking this off.”

“I never plan to take it off,” Tsukishima says and takes the pendant from Bokuto’s fingers.

Bokuto’s silence stretches out but then is replaced with a huge grin and a tight hug, making Tsukishima yelp.

“Put me down, you _idiot_!”

His request was met with more laughter and eventually Bokuto does put him down, but doesn’t remove his hands from him. Tsukishima sighs.

“Aren’t you too old for this?”

“One is never too old to play,” Bokuto counters and pokes Tsukishima’s side. He then proceeds to explain yet another plan he has for the future and the Blue King gets easily lulled into the sound of his voice. Soaking up his closeness, his warmth, his shine.

‘ _You’ll regret it_.’

Maybe.

But before he does, Tsukishima figures that he shouldn’t hold back and that he should let himself enjoy every aspect of Bokuto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! Any comments and critique is accepted :D! I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Kuroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ever-giving- even when he is empty and has nothing else to give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! I didn't forget about this story (I never will) but sometimes I get stuck and don't know what to do. Or I know but I don't know how to do it. Hopefully, you guys still like the story and this chapter as well! I actually really enjoyed writing it!

The Scarlet Citadel looks as magnificent as ever.

Vines crawling and curling around tall pillars, the flowers blooming in every color the world ever saw. The raw stone underneath his bare feet, fresh air coming from the open balcony- the Citadel is so high in the clouds it never feels warm, despite it being the closest to the dessert. He can’t see it, but there’s water flowing outside. Laughter. The chirping of the birds.

Visiting Kuroo always fills Akaashi with life. He’s never sure whether it’s because Kuroo guards that aspect or is it just the raw presence of nature around him. The green, Emerald Tower where Akaashi sits and rules over the aspect of dreams is lovely in its own way.

But is there something more beautiful than life?

Akaashi thinks there isn’t.

He walks out of his room and onto the balcony, leaning on the railing with his hands crossed on his chest. The wind is playing with the light clothes he’s wearing today, bright green a stark contrast to the red walls of the Keep.

Akaashi swore to protect this. They all did. Bokuto. Tsukishima. Ushijima. It was a pact that was forged- and it should never be broken. Those that do will only suffer consequences and the wrath of other protectors.

If there is no life, there is no existence. As simple as that.

And Tsukishima would take the betrayal the worst, Akaashi figures. He’s the youngest King and protector amongst them all. Bokuto is probably the oldest. Then Ushijima. Kuroo and Akaashi were born in the same year. Tsukishima was born years and years later. He was an unexpected addition to the family.

“It feels like an eternity passed…” Akaashi muses to himself, watching tall, golden and red pine trees sway in the wind. And maybe it did pass. Centuries. He can barely remember his father. Only the day he introduced him to Kuroo, as his year-mate. His mother looked so happy that day. And Kuroo so clumsy and blushing as he handed Akaashi birthday gift- the decoration for his horns. A round, silver ornament, placed between his horns, with green, rough stones on the edges of it. He’s never taken it off ever since.

Whenever anyone implies that Kuroo is older than Akaashi, he feels weird about it. He can never put a finger on ‘why’ because he knows that’s not true.

Hair. It’s definitively hair.

Loud creaking in the nearby trees makes Akaashi blink and look over. His eyes narrow.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh.” Kuroo seems genuinely surprised at being caught red-handed. “I’m sneaking,” he says simply.

“…this is your Castle.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

They stare at each other for a moment. Akaashi trying to comprehend what the fuck is going on and Kuroo trying his best to keep the gaze whilst maintaining the balance on the branch. His long, red robes are all caught up on short, pointy twigs, which makes everything ten times worse.

“Okay, I wanted to surprise you,” Kuroo finally gives up and sighs, tugging on his clothes and almost toppling over. Akaashi just pinches the bridge of his nose.

“And here I thought only omegas go in heat,” he rolls his eyes and leans chin on the palm of his hand. Akaashi doesn’t want Kuroo to get hurt, but… it’s enjoyable watching him struggle when a plan (usually stupid) backfires on him.

“I just wanted to be romantic!” Kuroo exclaims and finally loses his battle against the branches. It cracks underneath his feet and he falls on to the lower one. Which also cracks from the sudden weight.

Akaashi leans over the stone railing to get a better look. After several more seconds of rustling and branches snapping, he can hear Kuroo reach the ground with a thud. Ouch.

“Wow. Tsukishima will never let you live this down.”

Five-second silence.

“…pleaaase. Don’t tell him.”

With an amused laugh, Akaashi goes back to his room, shaking his head.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The real reason why Akaashi was here is because it was Morisuke-san’s birthday. The Royal Advisor and First Healer didn’t want to make a spectacle out of it, but everything got out of control when his mate Lev revealed, two weeks before birthday, that he already sent out two hundred invitations.

Haiba Lev still sleeps in the hallway of Scarlet Citadel.

The Banquet Hall is full to the brim when Akaashi finally joins the party. He has a gift for Yaku- a simple but well crafted, silver dagger, wrapped in green cloth. Reaching the man in question and handing the gift over will prove to be more of a challenge than it should be.

Despite being a last-minute party, the atmosphere is good and spirits are high. He can hear Lev’s sister singing somewhere in the crowd, having had one too many glasses of wine; Kenma is (of course) nowhere to be found and Yaku is trying to meet and greet everyone that comes. He seriously looks so done with everything.

“Trying to steal the show on my birthday, aren’t you, Akaashi-san?” Yaku greets him with a playful grin. “You’re making heads turn your way tonight.”

Ah, he’s referring to his clothes for the night. Honestly- he didn’t pick these. Some of the servants brought them over and he couldn’t say no. Apparently, Kuroo sent them; Akaashi is starting to suspect that the other has a thing seeing him in thin, bright green robes. And this piece is short on the front too.

He’ll have a word with him later.

“Never,” Akaashi smiles, “all eyes are on you tonight.” He pulls out the present from the inner part of his robes. “May your dreams always be peaceful, Yaku-san.”

“Thank you,” the advisor accepts the gift, with a small bow. “May life always bloom for you.”

The line of guests that want to greet Yaku keeps on moving so Akaashi has to step away. They already talked plenty when he arrived a few days ago (mostly about how frustrated Yaku is over the party), but it always feels like there’s more to say.

Akaashi entertains himself with a line of cakes and pastries that are elegantly stacked on long tables, set up against the walls. Hopefully, he’ll manage to snag some of the raspberry tarts before they are all gone. He doesn’t even bother to go to the savory tables- he’s all about sweets tonight.

“They say it’s bad for your teeth if you eat so many sweets,” Kuroo says right into his ear, appearing out of fucking nowhere. Akaashi jumps in surprise and effectively smacks Kuroo’s jaw with his shoulder.

“And I say it’s bad for ‘getting laid tonight’ chances,” Akaashi grunts, turning around to bite into the crunchy tart right into Kuroo’s face.

“If that’s all it takes,” Kuroo grins, “I’ll tell the cook to bring everything to my room.”

Akaashi rolls his eyes and shoves the rest of the tart into his mouth, and then heads out of the banquet hall.

“Hey, hey-! Where are you g-“ Kuroo’s voice disappears in the crowd because he was ‘greeted’ by one of the emissaries. Akaashi looks over his shoulder to see Kuroo’s crimson robes go left and right, trying to get away from the diplomats, and he chuckles. Swiftly, and without much wandering, he finds his way to the back gardens. He’s been here so many times before and it still looks like a pocket of paradise. Still laughing to himself, Akaashi takes off his shoes, throws them away and runs inside the small maze of flowers and greenery.

Night’s breeze.

Soft grass underneath his feet.

Starry sky above him.

He feels a rush as he runs across the small field, his soul drinking in the magic of the place.

“Gotcha!”

The sound reaches his ears before anything happens. But he knows WHAT will happen.

Kuroo finally caught up with him, tackling him to the soft, slightly damp grass. This time, Akaashi can’t help himself and just bursts into laughter.

“Oh dear, whatever shall I do?” he squirms in Kuroo’s hold, turning around to look up at him.

“Beg for mercy,” Kuroo grins like a devil.

“Ah,” Akaashi nods ‘solemnly’, hand reaching up to play with stray strands of Kuroo’s hair.

The night suits him. Perhaps Akaashi is being biased, maybe a tad bit possessive, since night and shadows are his domain, but Kuroo always looked beautiful surrounded by night sky and stars. The thought always crosses his mind whenever the chase’n’catch scenario plays out. Like tonight.

“What if I don’t want to beg?” Akaashi asks quietly, hand falling down from Kuroo’s face and resting on the ground, next to his head.

They said ‘ _one day you will find a mate. Someone of your own. A beautiful green, alpha dragon to make all your dreams come true and fulfill all your needs_ ’. They were wrong. After hundreds of years, they are still wrong. He didn’t want someone to coddle him; he didn’t want someone who sees only the crown on his head and sandals on his feet as they bow; he didn’t want someone who isn’t warm.

They say Akaashi is a liquid dream; changing shapes and never staying still; never knowing what he wants.  
They say Kuroo is weak; that he wears heart on his sleeve, that his compassion will get him one day killed.

If he is liquid, always changing… then he’ll turn into poison, and destroy anyone who threatens to extinguish Kuroo’s flame.

“Then you’ll be stuck with me forever,” Kuroo says, leaning his forehead against the other’s.

“Promise…?”

He surprised him. Akaashi’s sudden wave of sentimentality has caught Kuroo off guard. The conversation, the same words exchanged so many times before, never went this way. Akaashi never asked Kuroo for anything. He was afraid of loss. Of things he cherishes slipping through his fingers because of what he is- dreams and death. Everything that comes his way disappears into the night, never to be seen again. People, emotions, cities and villages, mountains and seas. He didn’t want…-

“I promise.”

Loud enough for Akaashi not to miss it, quiet enough just for his ears. His Kuroo… ever giving- even when he’s empty and has nothing else to give.

They kissed for what it seems hours after that. The earth will remember his sighs; his skin will remember the touches, always. Gardeners will find bright green shawl in the morning, floating in the wind on one of the rose bushes. And Akaashi? He will be in Kuroo’s bed, clinging onto the warmth and security for just a while longer, before his duties force him to go home.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Do you really have to go back?”

It’s the morning of his last day here. Whenever his visit comes to an end, it fills Akaashi’s lungs with anxiety. He will never leave his people behind; that will never be an option. But he also doesn’t want to leave Kuroo behind. The never-ending tug-o-war between the two. He has learned to push the feeling in the back of his mind, but sometimes it resurfaces, like an ugly memory.  
  
Kuroo’s hand is thrown over his lap as he sits in bed, over the covers, and Akaashi’s lips twitch into a small smile. Such an easy, simple distraction from wayward thoughts.

“You know I have to.”

“I know… Doesn’t mean I like it,” Kuroo grumbles, voice muffled. Akaashi looks over at him, where Crimson King has buried his face between two silky pillows and only his hair is sticking out. He reaches over to ruffle it playfully, making Kuroo’s usual bed hair even worse.

The other doesn’t seem to mind it though. He could swear he almost heard a purr right there.

“You can always pay Tsukishima a visit,” Akaashi says, stretching.

“Just because you have portal privileges doesn’t mean the rest of us do,” Kuroo groans, finally turning his head so he can talk properly.

“What? He revoked yours?” Akaashi blinks.

“I didn’t check mine, but he definitively revoked Bokuto’s. After he blew up the Summit Tower at our last gathering.”

Ah. That explains a lot.

“Wasn’t that more than fifty years ago?”

“Yep.” Kuroo grins up at him. “Can’t blame Bokuto for doing it though. I mean, if he didn’t do it, one of us would do it.”

“Don’t lump me in the same basket as you,” Akaashi pokes Kuroo’s side, making him yelp. “But Ushijima is quite persistent.”

“Making a move on Tsukishima in front of Bokuto is pretty stupid though,” Kuroo laughs.

“It still doesn’t warrant blowing up the place.”

“Well, to be fair, he wanted to blow up Ushijima,” Kuroo drawls as he sits up and rests his chin on Akaashi’s shoulder. “But his spell misfired.”

“Is that what he told you?” Akaashi grins and leaves a short peck on Kuroo’s cheek, who sighs contently.

“Oh, you have no idea what he told me.” … “And what he didn’t tell me but I know.”

“What the hell Kuroo?”

“Hey,” Kuroo defends, “it’s not my fault Bokuto’s like an open book and I can read him like the palm of my hand.”

“If you can read him so well then why didn’t you stop him?” Akaashi quirks an eyebrow.

Kuroo remains conspicuously silent.

“…oh, so you WANTED him to blow up Ushijima. I get it,” Akaashi snaps his fingers.

Kuroo mock gasps, “What an AWFUL accusation, Akaashi Keiji. I think I will have to punish you for that.”

Akaashi only grins and bites Kuroo’s jaw in response.

And so, he ends up being late for departure. But Akaashi didn’t care. He will get back home eventually, today. It didn’t mean it had to be precisely in the morning or afternoon. He could steal some time. Maybe send a silent thank you Bokuto’s way for allowing him to do it.

All this distance between them all is like a stifling wind. The one that hits you hard in the lungs the more you climb in the mountains, trying to reach what you need and love. Kuroo is the red thread that’s keeping them all together. Tsukishima is still too withdrawn to show emotions properly, but when he does, nothing feels impossible. And Bokuto is Bokuto. Timeless. Always there, with that big stupid grin on his face. Ready to chase away the clouds.

What is he doing then for them? Does he leave a mark behind the same way the others do on him? Or does he just float in their consciousness, weightless, something and someone that has to be there because it is his place?

He doesn’t think about this when he’s with Bokuto; too blinded by the glistening Sun of the desert. He doesn’t think about this when he’s with Tsukishima; too focused on all the wonders young king can do with just a little speck of magic. He doesn’t think about this when he’s with Kuroo; too focused on the stories about journeys, about life and pleasure, about nature and one line that ties them all together.

He thinks about this when he’s alone, in the high Emerald Tower. He thinks about it when he stands there, watching the deep, green seas below him, vast and endless; cold like his hands. He thinks about it when it rains for months, day in and day out. When the howling wind of the storms speaks all the fears in his ear.

And that’s when the urge to run away is the strongest. He tends to sleep for weeks then. Wander the shores of Emerald Dreams for days. It is such a placid, blank place, the dreams, shaped by those who visit. Do you need hope and reassurance? It is here. Are you seeking nightmares? They lurk around the corner the moment you think about it.

Today, he returns to those fears and the endless battle he’s been waging over the decades. When he steps in the carriage and Kuroo disappears from his sight, his carriage turning around the corner and passing through the open gates, the life of this place starts disappearing from his lungs.

No more soft grass underneath his feet or open, starry skies above him. The smell of wilderness and earth, the sound of rivers and swaying trees. It all leaves him to return where it belongs. With Kuroo.

There is life in Kuroo’s hands. And that’s the place where it should stay.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it's still a short chapter! But seeing I am still establishing the boys in this Wolrd setting, I didn't want to overload the chapter with many things happening at once.


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